Hanger



T. L. HOWELL Dec. 14, 1937.

HANGER Filed July 25, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Dec. 14, 1937. T, L, HOWELL 2,102,462

HANGER Filed July 25, 1932 2 Sheets-$heet 2 I NVENTOR Patented Dec. 14, 19 37 PATENT OFFICE HANGER Theodore L. Howell, New York, N. Y., assignmto Kurt Vcrsen, New York, N. Y.

Application July 25, 1932, Serial No. 624,372

7 Claims.

This invention relates to a lighting fixture adapted for fully indirect lighting for producing a strong substantially uniform illumination upon a diffusing surface, e. g., the ceiling of a room, whereby a shadowless, soft illumination will be had at the working level.

It is an object of this invention to provide a lighting fixture which is simpler and more economical to construct, and which will be capable of satisfying aesthetic treatment, and which will produce a uniform, highly eflicient illumination of a room in which it is used.

In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated by way of example a preferred formof my invention.

Fig. l is a vertical sectional view;

Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view partly broken away, and

Fig. 3 is a view in elevation and partly in section of another form of the invention.

Fig. 4 is a diagram showing a side by side comparison of a'photometric curve of the lamp and reflector with a cross-section of a bowl or shield shaped according to my invention.

In these drawings I have shown a fixture supported from the ceiling by-a swivel support l adaptedv to permit the lamp always to assume a vertical position. To this swivel is secured a thin tubular shaft H, adapted to carry the electrical conductors therein; and onto the bottom of this shaft is secured a supporting block I2, to which a lamp socket I3 is secured by means of screws M.

A number of holes l5 are drilled, preferably vertically, into the top of the supporting block i 2, and preferably radial grooves l6 lead from these holes to the bottom edge of the block l2. Suspension members l7, having their ends bent to fit into the grooves l6 and the holes I5, are positioned therein and. are secured against withdrawal from the block [2 by means of a husk l8, preferably of sheet metal. A collar 19 is secured to the shaft H above the husk I8 to prevent sliding of the husk thereon. This collar is preferably secured to the shaft by means of a set screw.

The lower ends of the suspension members i! are bent into U-form as shown in the drawings, and engage a ring 20. Preferably the members I i are of stiff wire, and the ring 20 is radially grooved to accommodate the U-ends of the wire l1 and to hold the wires circumferentially spaced.

A bowl 2| having a central opening 22 rests on the ring 20 and is substantially free from, other support. This bowl may be opaque, e. g. metal, translucent, e. g. cpalescent glass, or transparent, or may include stencils or figures of various kinds, but I do not intend this bowl to Serve as a reflecting member, but rather as a shield to'in- 6 tercept glare from the lamp and hide the lower end of the supporting part of the fixture.

In the form of the invention shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the bowl 2| may advantageously be of a light-permeable material, preferably a translucent material, and a lamp bulb 23 inserted in the socket l3 extends through the opening 22 and is provided with a reflector 24 which, in the preferred form, may be a metallic film deposited directly upon the bulb itself. The upper part of this lamp above the reflector is preferably frosted as shown in the drawings, to provide a diffusing surface and to avoid sharp shadows on the ceiling and on the bowl 2!. This reflector 24 will, in the case illustrated in the drawings, extend approximately to the level of the filament so that the photometric curve of the lamp will start approximately horizontal, except for the short steep downward slope immediately adjacent the edge of the reflector, and gradually curve upward. By photometric curve, I mean the surface along which there will be an arbitrarily low intensity value of light. The shape of the bowl 2| is such that it approximates this photometric curve, and if light-permeable, the bowl preferably may be shaped so that it encroaches very slightly and gradually upon the curve so that it will be uniformly luminous or glowing, or'wlth a uniformly increasing or decreasing intensity, and also so that there will be only a relatively insignificant proportion of the total light fall upon the bowl. This bowl is not intended for reflection, and when it is designed to receive light at all, it is primarily for the prevention .of glare, and for the aesthetic efiect produced by the soft illumination of the transparent or translucent material, caused by intercepting this glare or spill light.

In Figure 4, I have shown by means of a light distribution curve 35, the corresponding photometric curve 36 and the cross section of a shield 2m how the shield is shaped to approximate the photometric curve of the lamp and reflector. The'curve 35 represents light distribution expressed in apparent candlepower at ten feet from the center of the lamp for a 200 watt clear gas filled lamp silvered on the bottom of the bulb to the level of the filament. This curve and the data from which it is drawn are generally available for all commercial lamps. The

curve 38 is derived from the curve 35 by calculating at the various angles the distance for equal illumination. Obviously the photometric curve may be derived with greater accuracy by actual measurements with the lamp and reflector of the equal intensity distance for various angles. 2 la shows how a shield may be designed to follow the photometric curve according to my invention. Polar coordinates are used in this figure to assist comparison. The radial scale at represents inches for the curve 38 and the shield 2 la, and the scale at represents for the curve 35 apparent candle power at ten feet.

The ring 20 which is shown in the drawings as annular, to permit the projection therethrough of the end of the lamp 23, need not be in this or any particular form, and if the lamp bulb is mounted above. the ring or the bowl 2|, the ring 20 may be solid so as to completely cover the central opening in the bowl. Also the particular manner of connecting the suspension member H to the ring, although advantageous, is not essential to other features of my invention. Where piece instead of the ring 20 may be used and may afford the principal reflecting surface. I have found it much more advantageous, however, to utilize the bottom of the lamp as the reflecting surface, and to coat this portion of the lamp with a reflecting material, e. g., silver, as already described above. 4 I

If the reflecting surface extends above or below the filament, the photometric curve of the lamp and reflector will be changed, and in such case, preferably the curve and/or position of the bowl will also be changed to conform to said photometric cu'rve. Thus the bowl may be nearly fiat, or may extend downwardly from the lamp, or may extend upwardly, depending upon the reflector and its relation to the filament of the lamp.

In the form of the invention illustrated in Fig. 3 reflecting shields 30 and 3| which may be of an opaque material, e. g. a satin flnish metal, take the place of the shield 2| shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The total encroachment of this shield upon the photometric curve of the lamp with its reflector 24 may be the same as that of the bowl 2|. In this case, however, the light which is allowed to fall on the shield 30 all escapes beneath it and the shield is raised above the edge of the reflector 24 just enough to assure the escape of the desired amount of light. The curve of the under side of the shield 30 is designed so that it gradually intercepts throughout its radius the light which has escaped beneath its inner edge. i

The ring Si is a supplementary shield which serves merely to intercept glare from the'slit beneath the inner edge of the shield 30. The ring 20 may be integral with this ring Si or may be omitted, the ring 3| being drilled for reception of the short ends of the wires H, or other suitable means.

The effect produced ,by this embodiment is quite similar to that produced by the embodiment of Figs. 1 and 2. In both substantially the entire light is directed upwardly and outwardly without obstruction while only a small component of light, too nearly horizontal to be important at the working level, falls upon the glare shield for the purpose of illuminating the shield. The

downward component of light from these fixtures is less than 10 per cent and may be, and preferably is, less than 5 per cent.

Although I have shown and described above a preferred form of my invention, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that this is capable of numerous variations and modifications, in all of which the characteristic simplicity of design and structure, economy of cost and operation may be achieved in a similar manner to that disclosed herein. All such modifications and variations are to be regarded as within the scope of the present invention.

What I claim is:

l. A lighting fixture comprising a tubular supporting shaft adapted to carry electrical conductors, a supporting block secured to the bottom of said shaft provided w th vertical holes in its top and radical grooves leading therefrom down the sides at spaced points about said shaft for reception of suspension wires, a lamp socket secured to the bottom of said supporting block, a lamp mounted in said lamp socket having the portion of the glass thereof below the level of the filament silvered to provide a spherical reflector, a plurality of suspension wires each having its ends turned back to a U shape, the upper ends being inserted in the spaced holes of-the supporting block and the lower ends lying close to the bulb of said lamp slightly below the upper border of the silvered portion, a ring held in the bottom Us of said wires, 2. light-permeable'bowl supported on said ring and having a central opening approximately the size of the central opening in said ring adapted to permit the lamp bulb and the suspension wires to project therethrough, whereby the silvered portion of the bulb forms a visible part of the fixture when viewed from below, said bowl being shaped to follow approximately the photometric curve of the lamp, whereby the bowl will be uniformly illuminated, but will intercept only a very small proportion of the light from the lamp, a husk slidable on said shaft adapted to fit over the supporting block and lamp socket so as to hold the suspension wires, the holes and grooves of the supporting block, and a fastening means adapted to secure said husk in position upon said shaft.

2. A lighting fixture comprising supporting means, a block secured to the end of said means with holes extending into the block from its exposed surface and radial grooves extending for a substantial distance from said holes, a lamp socket secured beneath said block, suspension members of sufiicient rigidity to support their load without objectionable bending, one end of each member being inserted in one of said holes and its adjacent portion held in position by said connecting groove, a husk secured over said block and fitting thereto so as to prevent withdrawal of said suspension members from said block, and a decorative fixture supported by the suspension members. e

3. An indirect lighting fixture of the type which comprises a lamp, a reflector in substantially dust tight relation to the lamp and adapted to reflect substantially the entire downward component of light from said lamp outwardly and upwardly therefrom, said lamp and its reflector giving a range of high intensity at angular levels in which the light passes from all parts of the filament both directly and by reflection from 75 said reflector and a border range immediately below the range of high intensity in which the light intensity is rapidly diminished, and glare shielding means surrounding said lamp and reflector, which is characterized by having the glare shielding means extended from said reflector into, but not above the angular level at which the intensity of light from the lamp and its reflector is equal to the average of the intensities in said range of angular levels which are exposed to unobstructed direct and reflected radiation from the entire filament and adapted to intercept light 01' said border range and to difl'use such light as soft illumination from a lower surface oi the shielding means and by having the glare shielding means spaced slightly above the rim of the reflector and positioned so that a substantial part of the low intensity light of the borderrange passes beneath the shield, and by the shielding means being curved gradually over the entire angular range included. between the rim of the reflector and the inner edge of the shield, whereby to intercept at its lower surface from its inner to its outer edge light which comes from the lamp at progressively lower angles and thereby to produce a soft illumination thereon.

4. A lighting fixture for use in a room which comprises an electric lamp having a light source and a light permeable envelope, an opaque concave reflector fltted about a portion of the envelope and adapted to reflect back and outward the light which falls thereon from .the light source, a light shield having a central opening through which projects the reflector and a portion of the lamp about which the reflector is fitted, its inner edge spaced a short distance irom the edge of the reflector and extending from said inner edge a distance sumcient to intercept glare to the eye level of the room from the portion of the lamp beyond the shield but lying entirely within the range of angular levels in which light from the lamp and reflector considered as a unit is less than the full intensity attained at levels beyond the shield, and a supplemental glare shield narrower than the first positioned closely about the reflector, spaced from the flrstnamed shield to allow passing of lighttherebetween for illumination of its surface and exy from.

tending from said inner edge a distance suiflcient to intercept direct passage or light from the lamp to the eye level of the room through the space between the lamp and the first-named shield.

5. A lighting fixture as deflned in claim 4 in which the supplemental shield is curved across the path of light escaping between the reflector and the first-named shield and is adapted to deflect such intercepted light. onto the darker surface of said shield.

6. An indirect lighting flxture for a room. which comprises a lamp and a concave reflector surrounding-the end of the lamp to reflect outward and upward the downward component of light from the lamp, an annular opaque shield surrounding the lamp near the edge of the reflector, lying substantially entirely below the angular level at'which an appreciable part of the illumination at the eye level of the room can come from the lamp by a single reflection from the ceiling and extending above the angular level at which light may pass from the lamp to the eye level of the room without reflection from the ceiling and a supplemental shield below the flrstnamed shield and covering and extending beyond the opening therein sufliclently to prevent passage of light through said opening directly to the eye level of the room but adapted to permit light from the lamp to pass beneath the inner edge of the flrst-named shield to illuminate its lower surface.

7. An indirect lighting fixture adapted to illuminate a difiusingsuriace in a room, comprising a lamp and electrical connections therefor, a

concave substantially opaque reflector associated with said lamp adapted to throw outward and upward the light radiated downward by said lamp, a shield surrounding said lamp near but spaced irom the rim of said reflector' whereby to receive on its under side a small amount or outwardly directed light whereby it will glow with a reflected light of low intensity, and a supplemental shield closely surrounding the reflector and covering the space between it and the flrstnamed shield whereby to prevent glare there- 1 "rm'sonoasn own-n 

